Impervious spring-enclosing belt



Jam. W, 1%@ a. F. PEASE, JR

`IMPERVIOUS SPRING-ENCLOSING BELT Filed March 19, 1947 WENTOR. Eizjfama Y Patented Jan. 10, 1950 IMPERVIOUS SPRING-ENCLO SING BELT Benjamin F. Pease, Jr., Grafton, Mass., assignor to Brewer & Company, Inc., Worcester, Mass., a corporattion of Massachusetts Application March 19, 1947, Serial No. 735,749

1 Claim. l

This invention relates to belts as used in trusses and for other similar purposes, and relates particularly to belts which enclose metal parts. Such belts when in use are exposed to moisture and perspiration, and are found to deteriorate rapidly if made of leather or of other permeable material.

It is the general object of my invention to provide an improved belt which is impervious to moisture and perspiration, and which will not stretch under continued tension when in use.

A further object is to provide a spring-enclosing belt in which there are no exposed threads or stitches through which moisture may enter.

My invention further relates to arrangements and combinations of parts which will be hereinafter described and more particularly pointedY out in the appended claim.

A preferred form of the invention is shown in the drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a perspective View of my improved belt;

Fig. 2 is a plan View of the free end portion of the belt, looking in the direction of the arrow 2 in Fig. 1; and

Figs. 3, 4, and 6 are enlarged detail sectional views, taken along the line 3-3 in Fig. 1, the lines 4-4 and 5-5 in Fig. 2, and the line 6 6 in Fig. 1 respectively.

Referring to the drawings, my improved belt comprises a strip I0 of extruded plastic material which preferably has the section shown in Fig. 3, with convex upper and lower surfaces, rounded edge portions II and I2, and a longitudinally extending opening or passage I4. This strip I 0 may be formed of any suitable exible plastic material which is impervious to moisture and perspiration. v

In forming the belt from this strip of material, a non-extensible and preferably woven tape T is first inserted in the longitudinal opening or passage I4. This tape extends through a belt-length of the strip I0 of plastic material, from the springenclosing end of the belt to a point just short of the free end as indicated in Fig. 5.

A at and preformed steel spring 29 is then inserted in the opening I4 alongside the tape T and this spring extends along the belt to an intermediate point indicated at 2I in Fig. 1.

If the belt is to be used in a truss, a pad-supporting plate 25 (Figs. 1 and 6) may also be inserted in the opening I4. The adjacent ends of the plastic strip I0, tape T, spring and plate are then rmly secured together, as by screws 21 but the rest of the spring is left free in the opening I4.

The end portion Illa (Fig 2) of the strip I0 and the end portion of the tape T are then subjected to heat and pressure in suitable dies so that the tape T and the plastic strip portion Ia are firmly compressed and with the tape T firmly anchored in the plastic material.

Holes 30 may then be punched through the strip portion I 0a and tape T in the free end portion of the belt to receive a stud in any desired coacting fastening device.

In a belt made as above described, the spring 20 is entirely encased in flexible impervious material by which it is fully protected, and the tape T, extending substantially the whole length of the belt, takes the endwise tension and prevents the plasti-c material from stretching or acquiring a permanent set. Furthermore, the tape T reenforces the stud openings 30 and directly receives the pull of a coacting fastening stud.

I thus provide a plastic belt of pleasing contour and with smooth and impervious surfaces, which belt will permanently resist stretch and in which belt a preformed flat steel spring may be readily inserted and fully protected.

Having thus described my invention and the advantages thereof, I do not wish to be limited to the details herein disclosed, otherwise than as set forth in the claim, but what I claim is:

An improved spring-enclosing belt comprising a preformed flat tubular strip of flexible impervious plastic material having a correspondingly flat opening extending lengthwise therein and substantially therethrough, a strip of nonextensible tape positioned in said lengthwise opening and substantially coextensive in width with said opening, and a preformed elongated flat metal spring positioned in said lengthwise opening, one end of each of said tape, said spring and said tubular strip being firmly secured together at one end of said belt, said spring extending in said lengthwise opening alongside said tape for a portion only of the length of said tape and being free in said lengthwise opening, said tape extending freely in said belt opening to a point just short of the free end of said belt and the end portion of said tape being sealed in said belt adjacent said point, and the extreme free end of said belt being sealed.

BENJAMIN F. PEASE, Je.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 233,414 Hays et al Oct. 19, 1880 802,558 Gaisman Oct. 24, 1905 1,071,594 Smith Aug. 26, 1913 2,313,381 King Mar. 9, 1943 2,391,417 Hill Dec. 25, 1945 2,424,740 Chamberlain et al. July 29, 1947 2,426,731 Elliott Sept. 2, 1947 

